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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23067772">amidst the flowers you move</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fthh/pseuds/fthh'>fthh</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Fluff, Getting Together</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 08:20:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,765</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23067772</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fthh/pseuds/fthh</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“You should take Dorothea with you,” Edelgard says with a smirk. “I’m sure she’d love to go out with you—”</p><p>Dorothea shoots daggers Edelgard’s way.</p><p>“— This weekend, of course,” Edelgard tacks on, a look of smugness still about her.</p><p>“I would be liking that greatly,” Petra says, turning towards Dorothea beside her, clasping her hands together. Her smile is so bright. The Brigid sun is no match for her.</p><p>Really, how could Dorothea ever say no?</p><p> </p><p>or, Petra takes Dorothea out to explore the city.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dorothea Arnault/Petra Macneary</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>98</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>amidst the flowers you move</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>unedited - apologies for any typos!</p><p>title taken from <i>to a girl in a garden</i> by sappho</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>This was a bad idea. The train is absolutely packed tonight, and so she </span>
  <em>
    <span>has</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be standing as close to Petra as possible. She wonders, from their proximity, if Petra can see her blush (which she’s been told usually radiates up to the tips of her ears and her chest), if Petra can hear her heartbeat thundering in her chest, if Petra can feel Dorothea watching her every move.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They’re in the middle of the car, strangers pressing onto them, and Petra can’t reach the handrail so she holds Dorothea’s arm instead. The train lurches forward, knocking Petra off-balance and right into Dorothea, who steels herself for the impact in the split-second she has to process what’s happening.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Petra says, voice small, barely audible among the loud chatter in the train-car.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This was a bad idea, this was a bad idea, this was a bad idea.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(Dorothea is still thankful for the time she’s spent with Petra.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had all started innocently: with the semester break coming, Petra had invited the Black Eagle house back to Brigid for the month-long celebration of her grandfather’s birthday. They’d all agreed easily, wanting a much-needed break from university.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Besides,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Edelgard had said, </span>
  <em>
    <span>a change in scenery would be nice.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Petra graciously let them stay at a Macneary guesthouse in the outskirts of the city, so getting to the heart of celebrations would take a few train stops, she’d told them. She wanted to take them on the weekend of her grandfather’s birthday, when it would be the peak of the nationwide celebration, but would like to scope out the temporary street market to see if there are any standouts this year.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You should take Dorothea with you,” Edelgard says with a smirk. “I’m sure she’d love to go out with you—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dorothea shoots daggers Edelgard’s way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“— This weekend, of course,” Edelgard tacks on, a look of smugness still about her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I would be liking that greatly,” Petra says, turning towards Dorothea beside her, clasping her hands together. Her smile is so bright. The Brigid sun is no match for her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Really, how could Dorothea ever say no?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Petra has tonight all planned out: they’d have an early dinner, catch a live show at the theatre, and walk to the street market.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It is going to be a lot of fun,” Petra says, putting her socks on in the living area. “Are you sure you do not want to join us?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’d like to settle down a bit first,” Ferdinand says, rummaging through the cabinet for his tea leaves. “We have a month here, after all. There is no rush.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, again, for having us,” Hubert bows, putting a hand over his heart.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are most welcome…” Petra trails off at the sight of Dorothea walking out of her assigned bedroom. She’s dressed simply tonight, in her favourite hat, a light jacket over a t-shirt, and a pair of jeans.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ready?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“... Yes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Goddess,” Linhardt says, rolling his eyes, still otherwise reading his book at the counter. “You two need to move now if you’re going to catch the metro.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Petra snaps out of her stupor. “Yes, yes, of course.” She takes Dorothea’s hand and leads her towards the front door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Have fun, you two!” Edelgard says from her seat at the couch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(Dorothea can hear the teasing tone in Edelgard’s voice. She’ll get her revenge, someday.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(That TA </span>
  <em>
    <span>has </span>
  </em>
  <span>been hanging around lately…)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Petra promised, they do indeed have fun. Petra takes her to a hole-in-the-wall restaurant a few minutes’ walk from the station near the city centre, and they have the most delicious curry this side of Brigid (as Petra claims).</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Petra orders lamb cutlets with her curry, while Dorothea sticks to the usual chicken.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think I’ve ever had lamb before,” Dorothea drawls, making conversation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you must try it! I admit I am biased, but it is the most delicious among meats.” Excited, Petra cuts a bit of her lamb and holds her fork in Dorothea’s face expectantly. For the thousandth time tonight, Dorothea blushes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you— you don’t need to feed me,” Dorothea says, hoping her light laughter doesn’t betray her nervousness at the intimate gesture. Dorothea takes the fork from Petra’s hand, but their fingers graze and Dorothea feels a jolt moving through her bloodstream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If there is a goddess out there, Dorothea hopes she’s entertained by this shitshow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Petra watches Dorothea’s eyes as she eats, at the very edge of her seat. Dorothea covers her mouth with a hand as she chews, suddenly self-conscious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” she looks up, “this is absolutely delightful!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Petra beams at that, proud. Her smile reaches her eyes, which turn to crescent-moons and this crush of hers is going to kill her, plain and simple. “Here you go,” Dorothea chokes out, handing Petra back her fork.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can have more, if you want,” Petra says cheerfully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s— that’s okay,” Dorothea weakens at the thought of sharing Petra’s food, the absolute intimacy of it all. “I can order the lamb next time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They both go back to their own food, changing the topic to small-talk. Petra happily carries the conversation, talking about local delicacies and the live show at the local theatre they’re about to catch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The city is absolutely bustling with activity. Everyone in the theatre watches in awe as Petra enters, whispers of the royal princess lingering in the background even as the show starts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dorothea enjoys the music, but gets distracted by the woman beside her. Petra watches the stage with rapt attention, occasionally explaining to Dorothea about each act’s band name. Brigidians enjoy their puns, Dorothea discovers. Alois would like it here, she notes fondly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Petra sings along to the last act. “This is my favourite band,” she explains. “The singer is serenading her wife.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(Even in the darkness, Dorothea can see a blush forming across Petra’s cheeks.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(Is she… what is she trying to imply, really? Dorothea cannot process her thoughts — her heart is threatening to jump out of her ribcage. She needs to focus on breathing.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Three young girls approach Petra when the lights turn back on, speaking in fast Brigidian that Dorothea can’t hope to understand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One of them turns to Dorothea with an adoring smile. “You must be Her Highness’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>friend</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she says in the Fódlan tongue.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Be nice,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Petra says good-naturedly, grinning. (The blush is still there, Dorothea notes.) </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was asking them for any stalls of note this year,” Petra turns to Dorothea, “and they have spoken to me of the best chocolate… monger? There has been an increase in food stalls, I have heard.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t wait to try them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let us go there, then.” Petra says goodbye to the three girls and takes Dorothea’s hand to lead her through the crowd.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Petra does not let go even as the mass thins out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They end up buying a whole bag full of sweets to bring back to the guesthouse to share. There are stalls selling unique tea and coffee (for Ferdinand and Hubert), local art supplies (for Bernadetta and Edelgard), cheap books on magic (for Linhardt), and cat toys (for Caspar).</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s almost midnight, so they decide to call it a day and go back. The station is absolutely packed, and so Petra takes Dorothea’s hand while the other holds onto the bag of sweets.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Everyone is trying to go back home,” Petra says, sighs. But the last train of the night will come soon, so they trudge on and try to fit into the train-car.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>… Which brings them to the current situation: Dorothea and Petra face-to-face (well. Petra’s eyes only reach Dorothea’s mouth), as close as physically possible.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Petra stumbles into Dorothea, they don’t make a move to distance each other. (Dorothea feels warm the way the hot Brigid air doesn’t: deep down in her chest all the way up to her ears. She makes a note to blast the air conditioner later, and hopes it’ll help.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Petra thanks her, Dorothea notices her eyes not moving away from her lips. (Dorothea </span>
  <em>
    <span>still </span>
  </em>
  <span>hopes the goddess, anyone, someone, is laughing. This has </span>
  <em>
    <span>got</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be a joke.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With the lack of space between them, Dorothea wonders, wonders, wonders if any of this means anything. Her heart is ready to take the leap, but her brain is holding her back. She has a silent argument with herself:</span>
</p><p> </p>
<ul>
<li><span>Petra hasn’t shown any interest in men.</span></li>
<li><span>But also, she hasn’t shown any interest in women either.</span></li>
<li>
<span>But what did the girl at the show mean when she said </span><em><span>friend</span></em><span>?</span>
</li>
<li><span>She was probably making friendly conversation. Petra is a beloved figure in the nation, after all.</span></li>
<li><span>But what if—</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is our stop,” Petra says, tugging Dorothea’s hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(This time Petra laces their fingers together.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Petra doesn’t move to let go throughout their walk back to the guesthouse, so Dorothea doesn’t do anything to upset the silent agreement between them to walk hand-in-hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, fuck it.</span>
  </em>
  <span> If her feelings aren’t reciprocated, Petra is the nicest person she’s ever known. She won’t hold Dorothea’s feelings against her. Their friendship will go back to normal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I like you.” Dorothea blurts unceremoniously. “I mean, I love you, as a friend, but I also like you. In the romantic way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that is very lucky then,” Petra says, a smile forming. “I am about to kiss you now. Stop me if you don’t want me to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Petra stands on the very tips of her toes to reach Dorothea’s lips, and— oh. Petra's lips are so very soft.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This is what fairytales have talked about. Dorothea leans forward to deepen the kiss, and they get lost in each other, unaware now of their surroundings. Dorothea is only brought back to reality when her back hits the front door and she hears the bag dropping to the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Petra smiles sheepishly, backing away to pick up the bag and let Dorothea unlock the door. Once on the other side, Petra deposits her things on the couch before going back to kiss Dorothea again, again, again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hope this isn’t too forward,” Dorothea says against Petra’s lips, “but you’re welcome to spend the night in my room, if you want.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I would be liking that very much.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s three in the morning when there’s a knock on Dorothea’s door. “Will you two </span>
  <em>
    <span>please</span>
  </em>
  <span> keep it down? Bernie says she can’t sleep.” Edelgard’s voice is slightly muffled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dorothea and Petra look at each other, and burst into a fit of giggles. Their little chat can continue in the morning.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>you can imagine whatever you want to happen in dorothea's bedroom ;)</p><p>(apologies for errors - i wrote this in one sitting for like. 3 or four hours. AND. i have a few doropetra fics in the works! maybe if i announce their existence i'll get the motivation to finish them. lol)</p><p>also. me? dealing with my feelings by projecting onto my favourite characters? it's more likely than you think!</p><p>also i'm <a href="https://twitter.com/clonebutt">@clonebutt</a> on twitter if anyone wants to chat about anything! :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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